Cigarette collector



Dec. 29, 1931. R. E. RUNDELL CIGARETTE COLLECTOR Filed Jan. 6, 1931 'r 77 TORNEY Patented Dec. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RUPERT n. RUNDELL, or ROGKVILLE CENTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T AMERICAN MACHINE & FOUNDRY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY CIGARETTE COLLECTOR Application filed January 6, 1931.

This invention relates to cigarette collectors for cigarette machines of the continuoiis rod type, its main object being to provide improved means to collect tipped or printed 6 cigarettes 1n two separate rows, each with their tips or printing pointing in one direction, on the collecting belt of the machine.

In order to achieve this object the present cigarette collector consists of a rotary horizontaldrum provided with pocket walls for pushing separate cigarettes. The cut cigarettes coming through a guide tube from the cutoff, with their tips and tails alternately adjoining, are accelerated by acontinuously moving conveyor belt running at a higher speed than the incoming cigarettes, thus separating the latter. The cigarettes axially into the pockets of the aforesaid rotary drum which pushes them transversely of the conveyor belt while advancing until stopped on the conveyor belt by transverse partitions in said pockets, and then sweeps them oil the conveyor belt onto a collecting belt running at right angles to the conveyor belt. In order to deliver the cigarettes into the pockets in a suitable guide belt is placed above the conveyor belt to engage the cigarettesthereon as they are delivered from the guide tube. Alternate pockets of the rotary drum, besides having an end wall common to all pockets, are provided with a transverse partition halfway of their lengths causing alternate cigarettes to be stopped halfway of the length of the drum, so that the drum delivers two rows of cigarettes on the collecting belt, the cigarettes of each row pointing with their tipped or printed ends in the same direction. With this and other objects not specifically mentioned in view, the invention consists in certain constructions and combinations which will be hereinafter cally set forth in the claims hereunto appended. r

In the accompanygjig drawings which form a part of this speci cationand in which like characters of reference indicate the "same or like parts:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved cigarette collector;

conveyor belt leads the proper alignment,

fully described and then specifi- Serial No. 506,998.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

3 is an end view on line 33 of Fig. 2; an i Fig. 4 is a detailed section of the conveyor and guide belt, taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

In carrying the invention into eifect this is provided means for accelerating forwarded cigarettes, a collectingbelt, and a rotary drum provided with pocket walls for pushing the cigarettes from said means onto said belt. In the best constructions contemplated, said means includes a conveyor belt and a guide belt cooperating therewith to accelerate forwarded cigarettes. In the preferred form of construction the pocket Walls of the drum are arranged radially therof to provide pockets for receiving consecutive cigarettes, said pockets being closed at one end and provided with transverse partitions at the middle portion of alternate pockets to stop alternate cigarettes halfway of the length of the drum, whereby to deliver the cigarettes in two separate rows to said collecting belt. These various means and parts may be widely varied in construction within the scope of the claims, for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted to the specific construction shown and described.

The cigarettes C, after leaving the cutoff of the cigarette machine, pass through a stationary guide tube 10 onto an endless conveyor belt 11 driven by roller 12 equipped with a gear 13 meshing with gear 14 on shaft 15 driven from the main drive of the cigarette machine. Roller 12 and gear 13 are mounted on stud 16 attached to bearing plate 17 which is fastened to bed plate 18 of the cigarette machine.

Conveyor belt 11 is guided over a supporting plate 19 mounted on bearing plate 17. Gear 13 also meshes with gear 20 having roller 21 driving guide belt 22 running over idler roller 23 on stud 24 fastened to bearing plate 17. Gear 20 and roller 21 are mounted on stud 25 likewise fastened The lower run of the belt 22 is made to pass through a semi-tubular guide 26 correspondto bearing plate 17 '7 ing with the diameter of the cigarettes and fastened to bearing plate 17, the object of this guide being to bring into alignment any cigarette arriving at the conveyor belt in irregular position.

The belt 11 cooperates with the guide belt 22 to accelerate the cigarettes C to separate them as they are forwarded through the guide tube 10 and conveys them into pockets of the horizontal rotary drum consisting of a plu-- rality of radial pocket walls 28 mounted on a core 29 carried by shaft 30 which is supported by bearings 31 from the bearing plate 17. On shaft 30 is mounted a spiral gear 32 driven from a spiral gear 33 on vertical shaft 34 supported by bearing 35 of plate 17 Shaft 34 is driven by gear 36 meshing with gear 37 on vertical shaft 38 supported by bearing 39. Shaft 38 is actuated from the main drive of the cigarette machine.

The pockets formed by the pocket walls28 are closed at their far end by means of a back plate 40, but each alternate pocket at or near its middle point has a transverse partition or web 41 which acts as a stop plate so that the cigarettes C deliveredinto the consecutive pockets stop. at the back plate 40 and at the web 41 alternately, with the result that the collector drum delivers two separate rows of cigarettes when the contents of its pockets are by its rotation successively swept from i the belt 11 over the bridge plate 42 onto the I collecting belt 43 which is maintained in con- 'tinuous motion by the main drive of the cigarette machine.

What is claimed is 1. In a collector for cigarettemachines, the

combination with mechanism for accelerating v forwarded cigarettes, of a collecting belt,and

a rotary drum provided with pocket walls for pockets to stop alternate cigarettes halfway of the length of said drum whereby to deliver the cigarettes in two separate rows to said collecting belt. y

4. In a collector for cigarette machines, the combination with a rotating drum having axially extending pockets about its periphery, of aligned stops in said pockets and a con- 'veyor belt extending along the length of said pockets to said stops and cooperating therewith to successively forward cigarettes into said pockets and against the stops therein, said drum operating thereafter to push the cigarettes oflf the edge of the belt, and means cooperating with said belt to carry off the cigarettes pushed therefrom.

5. In a collector for cigarette machines, the combination with a rotating drum having axially extending pockets about its periphery, of aligned stops in said pockets, the stops in alternate pockets being offset lengthwise of the pockets to stop cigarettes in a plurality of rows, and a conveyor belt extending along the length of said pockets and cooperating therewith to forward cigarettes into the pockets and against the stops therein, said drum operating thereafter to push the cigarettes off the edge of the belt, and means cooperating with said belt to carry off the aligned rows of cigarettes pushed therefrom.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

RUPERT E. RUNDELL.

pushing the cigarettes from said mechanism onto said belt in two separated rows.

2. In a collector for cigarette machines, the i combination with mechanism for accelerating forwarded cigarettes, of a'collecting belt, and a rotary drum provided with pocket walls for pushing the cigarettes from said mechanism onto said belt in two separatgd rows,

said mechanism including a conveyor belt, a

guide belt overlying said conveyor belt and A cooperating therewith to accelerate the forwarded cigarettes, and a semi-tubular guide engaging the lower run of said guide belt to shape it to the curvature of the cigarettes.

3. In a collector for cigarette machines, the combination with mechanism for accelerating forwarded cigarettes, of a collecting belt, and a rotarydrum provided with pocket walls for pushing the cigarettes from said mechanism onto said belt in two separated rows, said pocket walls being arranged radially of the I drum to provide pockets for receiving consecutlve cigarettes, said pockets being closed at their far end, and provided with transverse partitions in the middle portion of alternate 

